1. Area of the Art
The present invention relates to devices which are used to help a user determine the month, date, day and year, or, in certain embodiments, multiyear calendars. Specifically, the present invention relates to coded printed displays for calendaring effective for use as wall calendars, color coded diaries, electronic desk calendars, computer implemented or controlled calendaring systems and the like means for calendaring.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the dawn of recorded time man has endeavored to utilize systems to track daily, weekly, monthly and yearly events. A calendarium, or rudimentary accounting book, originally allowed people to maintain in proper order the days on which accounts were due. A calendar may be generally defined as a system according to which the beginning and length of years, including subdivisions thereof, can be fixed. (The Oxford Universal Dictionary, 8th Edition, 1995, p. 349). Likewise, calendars may be characterized as tables showing the months, days of the week and dates of a given yearxe2x80x94often specialized, and sometimes including more than one series of detailed tables. (Websterxe2x96xa1s Third New Int. Dictionary, 1971, p. 316).
The Julian Calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in B.C. 46 and is based upon the ordinary year having 365 days, with every fourth year being a leap year having 366 days. This may be contrasted with the Gregorian Calendar which modified the Julian Calendar with reference to astronomical data and the natural course of the seasons. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in A.D. 1582, and adopted in Great Britain in 1752.
The advances in both hardware and software technology have yet to provide any universal calendaring system allowing both rapid and accurate interface for disparate users. Accordingly, calendars having applicability for more than one monthly time period remain a longstanding need of most people in the modern world. Further, to provide these functions in a visually stimulating or easily readable format remains a prominent need among the studied art.
The following pertinent United States Letters Patents disclose calendar systems with a similar intent. However, the disclosure of each of said patents has been reviewed, examined and found to be technically distinguishable from the teachings of the instant invention as disclosed hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. DES. 296,567, issued Jul. 5, 1988 to Muramatsu, disclosed a hanging board calendar having four discrete sections joined together in a vertical plane by a fanciful rope member. There are no universal or perpetual aspects to this disclosure. In contradistinction, the teachings of the present invention are not limited, to a discrete series of years or one arrangement thereof. Rather the teachings of the present invention manifest themselves in a plurality of alternate ornamental arrangements, as set forth below, in combination with universal or perpetually applicable coded variables for allowing a user to rapidly extract month, day and date information.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,903, issued Oct. 17, 1995 to Lopez, disclosed a perpetual mechanical calendar having a front board having 12 windows and a sliding plate. The sliding plate was designed to move horizontally between seven different positions corresponding to years which begin on each day of the week. Additionally, the sliding member was arranged such that it could be raised to accommodate for differences between a standard year and a leap year. It is noted that oval shaped members 222 in FIG. 1 are transparent members. The mechanical nature of this disclosure and complexity thereof, in combination with the difficulty inherent in reading the same differentiate it from the teachings of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,723, issued May 24, 1994 to Cregg, disclosed a perpetual calendar in the form of first and second, concentric, rotatable disks. The first disk has indicia representing the various days of the week and lead lines which function as pointers. The second disk includes a day number grid, The second disk is rotated relative to the first disk to the desired position to position the month grid adjacent the appropriate position year position line. This patent""s disclosure combines too many elements to create an immediately accessible visual image which a user can access instantly such as taught by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,292, issued Sep. 10, 1985 to Rubenstein et al., disclosed an electronic calendar in which each column corresponds to a particular day of the week. Each column has electronic display segments which can be programmed to display a number corresponding to the day of the month. Seven display elements are used to form a row representing a week and six such rows represent a month. The preferred embodiment includes a microprocessor and components to program messages. However, nothing in this disclosure was directed toward any universal mode of applicability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,147, issued Aug. 25, 1981 to Kolar, disclosed an apparatus having two elongated moveable members which are provided with indication members for individual calendar dates. The desired date is provided by positioning the two members relative to each other according to a code marking the desired month. Likewise, according to this disclosure the user""s needs for inputting more information and changing settings differentiates the same from the teachings of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,443 to Brown discloses a multi-month calendar in the format of a single month calendar having a two dimensional matrix. One direction of the matrix represents the day of a week having seven sections. The other direction comprises color coded month/day graphic indicia with each box of the matrix divided into triangular graphic portions or other geometric shapes such that each month/day will standout on its own. A legend, in the form of rectangularly shaped color codes is keyed to the coded graphic image. A user need only to identify the month by the color code, and then to refer the multi-month calendar to observe a desired or given day of an applicable month. The patent shows a two, three or four month display. The more months intended to be covered, the more complicated and difficult the calendar system is to read. Visually confusing images inherent in this patent differentiates the same from the instant teachings.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,966, issued Feb. 10, 1976 to Zeiske, disclosed a perpetual calendar for separating two digits of the designated year. The calendar uses a means which can be a device having sliding flat, elongated elements, rotating circular elements, conical elements, separate cards, plates or other similar components which are capable of meshing to move relative to each other to display selected indicia. The concept is to use three elements to form the year, such as for example xe2x80x9c19xe2x80x9d+xe2x80x9c7xe2x80x9d+xe2x80x9c3xe2x80x9d for the yearxe2x80x941973xe2x80x94.
The calendar in U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,966 also employs the concept of sub-categorization to divide time into various calendric time units such as century, decade, Year, Month. All of these elements are assembled on printed forms which are assembled to provide discrete viewing areas of discrete printed data to form the date in a selected month of a designated year. This differs from applicant""s teachings which are present in an integrated two dimensional matrix.
It is noted that, excepting U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,226,443 and 4,540,292, each of the above listed patents appear to be based on the use of printed members and relative movement between members to form a month in a designated year for displaying the designated date, which differentiates each of the same from the instant teachings as set forth more fully below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,443, issued Oct. 7, 1990 to Brown, disclosed use of triangular-shaped, coded sections and a separate legend showing triangular divisions of a plurality of associated squared regions for a month corresponding to the month sections on the calendar for a designated year. However, this patent was directed to a multi-month calendar wherein the entire arrangement was compacted into a single month sheet. The confines of rectangular space defined the blocks and a complicated series of date divisions were disposed in each block. The crowded visual impression, and difficulty at readily discerning and desired data point from a quick viewing readily distinguishes this patent from the teachings of the present invention.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,292, which issued Sep. 10, 1985 to Rubenstein et al., is a microprocessor controlled device for generating digital data and displaying the date for a selected month in a designated year. The microprocessor can generate data for any year thereby making it a perpetual calendar generating device.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,520,648 to Holt shows a calendar for a single year, which is a 12 by 31 spot array. It includes holes for insertion of pegs denoting days of the week or special events. This calendar provides no means for determining the day each date falls on, which must be provided by a second calendar. Further, the product disclosed can not be used to determine the calendar for a different year as it is designed to show only a single year.
However, none of the above described references provide the features of the present invention disposed within a concise two-dimensional matrix or are otherwise effective for correlating information using the unique symbol or color coded variable system of the present invention. Accordingly, the longstanding need for a universal symbol or color coded calendaring system having an interchangeable nature which makes it have perpetual applicability is solved in a heretofore unprecedented manner.
The present inventor has satisfied the longstanding need for a visually accessible perpetual means for calendaring, and according to a feature of the present invention there is provided a calendar, comprising; a first array of coded symbols including means for selectively accessing indicia denoting days of the week in any given month, and a set of coded symbols denoting months of the year, said array and set in combination defining a calendar for a given year.
Likewise, the present invention features a method of determining information regarding a selected day, date and month of the year comprising: a first array of twelve symbols assembled in a vertical row, the positioning of the symbol in the vertical row corresponding to a different month of the year, said months being in their normal order, and a second array of seven symbols in seven vertical columns, each of the columns comprising the seven symbols in a repetitive vertical arrangement of 31 symbols, each column representing a different day of the week, the days being in their normal order, and the vertical arrangement of 31 symbols representing the days of the month; identifying the symbol for the selected month on the first array and locating that same symbol on the second array to determine desired day or date the desired information related thereto.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means for presenting graphically an entire year in a two dimensional matrix, which means can be used as a perpetual calendar.
Another object is to provide a compact, easily readable means for calendaring which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
An additional object of the present invention is to correlate the basic information of the month, date and day for a given year and to offer the same for a user""s consideration on a coded variable basis allowing use of the matrix for any given year.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a perpetual calendar that is effective for covering both standard and leap years.
Yet a still further object of the present invention is to provide the above objects in a computer accessible calendar system enabling a user to perform basic calendar functions and to access data of choice that is based upon, or derived from date information.
These, and still further objects, are addressed hereinafter.
Briefly stated, the foregoing objects are attained generally, in the present invention, by a perpetual symbol coded means for calendaring, presenting, in a first embodiment, a two dimensional 7xc3x9731 matrix which graphically presents the basic information of the month, day and date for a given year. The indicia in the vertical columns of the matrix represent the dates of the month while the horizontal indicia represent the days of the week. Each month is designated in a legend by a selected symbol, such as a particular design or color, which coordinates with the indicia in the 7xc3x9731 array. A method of use, including a means for extrapolation of any desired yearly information into the present invention is taught in addition to software means for implementing the same.
According to a feature of the present invention, there is provided by a set of symbols or colors a coded perpetual calendar, comprising, in combination; a plurality of arrays of coded symbols for specifying information relative to a specific year, means for selectively accessing indicia denoting days of the week, means for selectively accessing, indicia denoting months of the year, conversion means for changing said plurality of arrays of coded symbols to designate variable information corresponding to a different year.
According to an additional feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of identifying information relating to a day, date, month and year, which comprises providing an array of columns including a first column having 12 symbols arranged in a vertical row, a vertical column of numbers 1 though 31, and 7 further columns further comprising 31 symbols; noting the design or color of a desired datum; comparing said color with the array; identifying desired day, month and year information; and repeating said identifying step.
According to yet a still further feature of the present invention, there is provided a device for symbolically arraying calendaring data comprising: a table for displaying a plurality of rows of data; a means for selecting a data string associated therewith; a means for repeating said step of selecting; a means for updating said table and a means for changing said table to display an alternate year.
The invention also includes a method for the filing and accessing of date related information to calendar dates by manual electronic or computer means where the calendar dates are designated by a printed or electronic 7xc3x9731 array of seven distinguishable indicia, said indicia being coordinated with like indicia identifying the months of the year. The seven distinguishable indicia are preferentially seven different colored spots.